London

London is awesome, as usual. Even though it hasn't been that long since the last time we were here, there are a lot of changes. There are more "eyesores" in the central area, meaning things that really don't seem to belong. The London Eye ferris-wheel thingie looks completely out of place. We walked by it and then walked across the new Millenium walking bridge across the Thames. It doesn't really seem to fit either. Maybe I'm just stuck on my mental images of what London used to be.

We opted not to go to the Tower of London. They now charge 16.50 pounds for entry. That's about $33 per person folks. Sorry, but that's outrageous. It should be free like most of the other historic sites. We spent the morning in the British Museum (which is free) looking at the Egyptian stuff. Incredible. Dax would be very impressed. Then we went to Westminster Abbey (which does charge a fee, but a reasonable one). It's pretty impressive. It is kind of weird to know you're walking on top of Robert Browning's body and then stand next to the tomb of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. The coronation chair is there too, which was pretty cool to see. Standing in the nave, I vividly remembered Princess Diana's funeral as well. I think I still prefer St. Paul's though.

By the time we did all that, we were exhausted, as we also walked around Trafalgar Square and down Oxford Street for a while. Our feet and backs are not as young as they used to be and it's pretty tiring. Saw a guy in a Vancouver Canucks jersey which was kind of funny. There aren't nearly as many tourists here at this time of year, but it is still incredibly crowded everywhere. You have to really watch yourself crossing the street. As we discovered, the rule about pedestrians having the right of way does not exist and of course we keep looking in the wrong direction for ongoing cars.

Not sure what is on the agenda for the last day today. I still have lots of money left so maybe we'll go to Harrod's.